TWO MILESTONES AS JANUARY ENDS

 For most of the lifespan of this blog, it has been common for posts to be published at intervals of weeks and even months. And unfortunately, when life as a missionary or parent or teacher got most interesting, posts often grew particularly sparse. 

At the end of 2020, though, I made a commitment to myself to write and publish something on a daily basis for at least 30 days. Today marks day 31. 

(Pardon me while I pat myself on the back for keeping my promise even in the midst of starting a new job, learning 80 new students and their unique personalities, and navigating unfamiliar technology for grades, attendance and online classes.)

Maybe someday what I have written here will be of interest to my kids, and I suppose it is currently helping my wife know what's going on in my head. (I'd rather write than talk most of the time.) But the only one I am absolutely certain will benefit from my internal drive to blog here, now and into the future, is me. 

I feel like 2020 was a year of monumental growth for me. My family and I went through some hellacious stuff. But God is faithful and good, and if we have eyes to see and ears to hear, God can redeem any suffering that life brings our way. 

I would hate to lose any of the lessons the Lord has taught me (and continues to teach me) and the best way for me to make them stick is to write them out. 

Plus, writing is cheap therapy.

And the second milestone? Tonight ends the 21 day sugar fast for Melissa and me. We survived - and even thrived - but I will have to report on the fasting experience another night ...

BUT WHY?

 So Robert Cialdini explains that humans like to be given a reason; we like to hear a "because". But his only explanation for this is that it is somehow hard-wired into our brains.

I don't know. I've been paying attention to how I feel differently when students ask "Can I go to the bathroom?" and when they ask "Can I go to the bathroom because ...". And I am beginning to form a hypothesis of my own.

I think that when a favor is asked without the "because", I (we) assume a reason ... and it's typically a negative assumption. 

Student: "Can I borrow a pencil?" 

        Me: "Why? - because you came to class unprepared?"

        Or: "Why? - because you lost yours?

        Or: "Why? - because you're too cheap to buy your own?"

This means that a student with a "because" handy can kill my negative assumption before it's even born: "Can I borrow a pencil because mine has gotten too short to hold in my hand?" 

Not only does this preclude my negative assumption, it hits me with an implied compliment in presuming my reasonableness. 

This need for a "because" may seem insignificant at first glance, but I am getting the impression it is bigger than we imagine.

GIVE THEM A REASON

 In his book Influence, author Robert Cialdini relates an anecdote about a Harvard social psychologist who ran a little experiment at a much-used library copier. In a variety of ways, she would ask permission to cut in line to make her copies and then record the success rate for each approach.

So when she said, "Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine?", she was allowed to cut in line 60% of the time. 

When she switched her request to "Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine because I'm in a rush?", her success rate climbed to an astonishing 94%. 

The truly surprising thing, though, was that the increased success was not dependent on people's sympathy for someone "in a rush". Rather, the increase seemed to be spurred simply by the word "because". 

How did the researcher come to this conclusion? 

She did one more trial. This time she worded her request like this: "Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine because I have to make some copies?" 

Kind of absurd, right? EVERYBODY in line is there "to make some copies". When I related this experiment to my 8th graders, many predicted the researcher's success rate would drop with this third version of her request. The people in line would probably feel insulted, right?

Wrong. Her success rate with this final revision still got her ahead in line 93% of the time!

It seems that "because" is a magic word. 

If you ask a favor, your audience wants a reason ... and it doesn't even have to be a good one to win them over. 

So now my students will occasionally raise a hand and ask, "Can I go to the bathroom, because I need to go to the bathroom", knowing that 93% of the time I will give them permission to leave the room. 

EASY ... AND FUN

One of the Twitter accounts I follow simply tweets a quote from the Simpsons TV show each day. A lot of the quotes would probably be funnier to me if I was more familiar with the show itself and had some context. But this one struck me as downright hilarious:

Why do we spend so much time criticizing other people? (I mean, besides the fact that it is so easy and fun.)

I have become sensitized over the past year to just how quick people are to run down a person behind his or her back. It does not seem to matter if the offender has committed a little offense or a big one, each will be a topic of conversation. Repeatedly. 

Much damage can be done in a short time. Critical words are poisonous, even in small doses. And they are poisonous to the "offender", the speaker, and the listeners. All sides are diminished when critical thoughts and words are entertained.

Lately, I have made a conscious decision to do battle with the temptation in my own heart to criticize and complain. I like to think that I have made some progress. Tomorrow I am going to make a concerted effort to say something positive to co-workers about a situation that has had me grousing lately. 

I anticipate that it will not be quite as fun or easy as complaining. But I know this: it will be good for my soul.

SITTING POLITELY

I'm working hard at being patient with my classes this time around. And that can be tough. These guys and gals have a tendency to blurt. (Which, by the way, is a hilarious word. Blurt, blurt, blurt.) Sometimes they blurt answers to my questions, sometimes they blurt their inner thoughts, and sometimes they blurt pure nonsense. They blurt over the top of me.

In the past I have worked hard in such situations to enforce the "hold your silence and raise your hand" routine. It tends to take more vigilance than I can muster for too long. And besides, it seems designed to reinforce a culture of conformity that I'm not so sure should be our grand goal.

I think we teachers too often forget what it was like to spend 7 hours a day trapped in those uncomfortable desks, listening to other people's directions. I have seen adults get restless in under 30 minutes of a standard meeting and find it impossible to refrain from cracking jokes and making comments to the people in their immediate vicinity. 

How many of us could bear walking in our students' shoes - and sitting at their desks - for even one full day?

SKILL VS. TALENT

 When I was a kid, I thought people were born with a certain set of talents. Some had lots of talents and some had very few. It was the luck of the draw and I concluded that I was unlucky. 

If I tried something new - especially anything athletic - and I couldn't perfect my technique within the first 10 minutes, I threw in the towel. No talent. 

It never occurred to me that the people who were really good at playing the guitar or diving or dance all started out clumsy and clueless. I had no idea that they simply stuck with it and exerted the effort to learn little by little over great spans of time. 

I wonder how many opportunities I let pass by before I learned that skill was so much more important than talent?

OFFICE "AFTER" PICS

I've had just over 24 hours in my new home office and I've decided it has everything essential ... except heat and music. For now I am content to wrap myself in a blanket and play instrumental hymns on YouTube through my phone. 

I must admit to feeling a bit guilty over this space, first because Melissa doesn't have a similar space in this house (but that will change in time). Even more so, I feel guilty because I have so many friends in Haiti who could never even dream of having any room in a house all to themselves, much less a room this nice.

Maybe it's because I am an introvert, but I believe having a space that is truly yours in some meaningful sense is incredibly important. Ten years ago, before we moved out of this very house to serve in Haiti, I actually set up my stained glass workshop in a closet off our bedroom just to have a place I could call my own. 

It was functional (barely) but not comfortable or beautiful. (And probably not the safest place to operate a soldering iron.) 

I feel incredibly blessed to now have a beautiful space in which to grade homework, read, and write. 

Just now, YouTube is playing "In the Garden", one of my mom's favorite hymns and one she often sang as a solo during worship services over the years. 

I come to the garden alone

While the dew is still on the roses

And the voice I hear falling on my ear

The Son of God discloses

And He walks with me

And He talks with me

And He tells me I am His own

And the joy we share as we tarry there

No other has ever known

I will just say that I hope to spend many hours in my space "tarrying" with Jesus in the coming days. For now I will share some "after" pictures before I get any more sentimental tonight. 

It still needs a few finishing touches, but it's 98% finished. Here's the outside entrance to my room:

And the left end of my ten foot countertop:

The mirrored closet door does help the room feel a bit bigger.

Plus, it's got atmosphere!

Once I get into the groove with my new job, I plan to turn one of the upstairs bedrooms into a similar space for Melissa. She is being very patient as she watches me enjoy my new space. ;-)

OFFICE SPACE

Caleb returned to Wabash College this afternoon. We would appreciate prayers for him especially this semester as he is pausing his pursuit of engineering while trying to discern what path God has for him over the next few years. 

Hannah left a week ago to get back to Olivet. After having our two oldest kids with us for two full months, it is hard to say goodbye to them again. 

On the bright side, this little house no longer feels so tight. AND Caleb's departure means I can fully inhabit my new home office.

I "finished" my office creation just 24 hours before he arrived home at Thanksgiving time. The idea was hatched several months previously: I needed a home office and Caleb needed his own bedroom space while home. The solution was to carve a ten-by-ten foot room out of the large basement living room, erect some new walls, move some electrical around, and give the new room plenty of shelves, table top, and its own closet. An L-shaped couch that converts into a bed was the finishing touch to make the space multi-purpose. 

It was such a fun project, and I was unemployed, so I had time to work slowly. This was good since I was making up the design as I went and I was learning new skills (like drywalling) on the job. Many thanks to my friend Ken, who helped me with the electrical, and to my brother Spencer, who provided lots of hardware supplies at cost. (My brother Russ helped me renovate the basement bathroom, but that work deserves its own post once I get all the finishing touches in place.) 

It's getting late, so I will post just a few "before" pics and save the "after" for tomorrow.

The first is how this corner of the basement looked ten years ago:

Getting started on ripping out old wood paneling on the back wall and the lower half of all the other walls:

A huge mess:

Dry wall up and the nasty old carpet removed - to reveal glorious green and white tiles beneath!

Carpet AND tile gone and new closet going in:

The entry door and some cabinetry going in:

GPAs FROM THE 1980S ONLY MATTER TO THE GOVERNMENT

 At Christmastime I found myself applying for teaching jobs at public schools. These schools required my college transcripts in order to consider my fitness for leading one of their classrooms.

This strikes me as ludicrous. After 15 years of youth ministry experience and now 15 years of classroom experience - the last 7 of which took place in the poorest nation in this hemisphere, my college GPA strikes me as possibly the least relevant indicator imaginable of my competency to lead an 8th grade classroom! 

I have taken groups of students across the border to Mexico, into the inner city, and onto Indian reservations.  (And my employers, as well as the kids' parents, trusted me enough to allow those trips to happen.) For seven years I bought my drinking water in 5 gallon jugs, guarded my family's food from rats, and weathered tropical diseases, all for the privilege of guiding students who were learning in a second language, many without benefit of dependable electricity or indoor plumbing, let alone internet connections. 

Don't misunderstand; I have no reason to be embarrassed by my college GPA - it just seems like ancient history at this point. Since I was the sole English teacher my own kids had for seven years, wouldn't their recent scores on the SAT and ACT be a much better indicator of my competency as a teacher than my grade from Wabash College's "Cultures and Traditions" class back in 1987?

FEEDING LAMBS

In late summer, when we realized that we would not be returning to Haiti and that Melissa and I would have to start looking for other work, the one possibility I ruled out for myself was teaching in a public school. 

I loved teaching at Cap-Haitien Christian School - I had wonderful, unique students (including my own kids), super small classes, and the opportunity to speak the gospel on a daily basis. There was no way I was ever going to return to large classes in a public school, haunted by standardized testing and paperwork and unable to speak the name of Jesus openly. 

And now here I am, two weeks down and 16 to go until summer, and I am actually fearing those 16 weeks will be too short! I am loving these new-to-me students - a group of 8th graders who are a fascinating mix of vitality and apathy. 

I don't know what God's long range plan is for me. Maybe I will be at Hauser this time next year and the year after that. Or maybe I won't. But this morning I was reading in John 21 the post-resurrection story of Jesus eating breakfast with the disciples on the shore of the lake. His interaction with Peter caught my attention. 

The fact that Peter was being restored after his threefold denial of Jesus momentarily faded into the background and the main thing I saw was simply Jesus asking Peter (and asking me), "Do you love me?"

If yes, then "Feed my lambs." 

Simple.

And far beyond just having a paycheck, I found myself so incredibly grateful for Jesus entrusting me with his lambs. 

FORGIVE THEM

I'm not sure there is a commandment from Jesus broken more often than "If you hold anything against anyone, forgive them." (Mark 11:25)

Forgiveness is central to the Christian life and should be practiced frequently and relentlessly within the Christian community. If we find it difficult or impossible to forgive even small slights, that could be an indication of the presence of toxic self-righteousness. 

Self-righteousness stifles any nudge by the Spirit towards forgiveness of others. If I am never wrong, I don't need forgiveness myself and I am not likely to extend it to others. This mindset does not take long to do deep damage to one's relationship with God. And deep damage to Christian community.

And the problem is that I can be so sure of my own righteousness, that I don't even recognize that I myself have moved far away from God. 

It is scary to consider how utterly convinced the Pharisees were within their own minds and souls that they were doing God a favor when they demanded that Jesus Himself be put to death for His "sins". 

PRAYING AND COMPLAINING

 I mentioned yesterday that I should have kept my complaints to myself and just prayed through my situation, leaving it in God's hands.

I think I'm onto something. Today it occurred to me that there is Scriptural precedent. David's prayer from the cave recorded as Psalm 142 starts like this:

"I cry aloud to the LORD; I lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy. I pour out before him my complaint; before him I tell my trouble. When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who watch over my way. In the path where I walk people have hidden a snare for me."

Anyway, my take away from Psalm 142 is that God isn't necessarily against the act of complaining, He just wants to be the sole audience for our complaints. It seems we can let the gripes fly at will, as long as they fly upwards.

There is one caveat, though, from my own personal experience: If you unload a bunch of complaints in God's direction, be prepared for a possible rebuke smackdown. (I guess Job and Jonah, among others, could also attest to this possibility.) 

GRUMBLING

 James 5:9  "Don't grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The judge is standing at the door!"

I have learned the hard way how destructive "grumbling" can be. The Greek word is "stenazete" and Strong's gives the following definition: "to complain, to groan, expressing grief, anger, or desire ... to sigh, murmur." It's running people down behind their backs. It's throwing a pity party for yourself while blaming someone else for your circumstances. It's taking pot shots at another person's reputation when they are not present to defend themselves.

It's setting yourself up as the judge and making your "righteous" pronouncements. And it is flat out evil.

(And, no, that is not too strong of a word.)

And here's how I know it is evil: Imagine looking over your shoulder in mid-grumble against a co-worker or family member or stranger and spotting The Judge standing at the door, listening in. Do you think you might shut your mouth real quick? 

As for me, I think there's an excellent chance I would shut my mouth REAL quick. 

Anyway, all this is to confess that I have been trying to be positive and grumble-free (especially in light of what has been done to me in the past), but today I failed and I know I should have kept my mouth shut. I regret complaining and my anger has passed. Instead of grumbling, I should have simply prayed and trusted that God would rectify the situation. 

Tomorrow I will do better.

SUGAR FAST DAY 8

 At day 8, maybe Melissa and I have made it through the worst part of our 21 day sugar fast. 

Some people report headaches during withdrawal on day 2 or 3 as the last bits of sugar leave their systems. I must have had plenty of extra sugar in my system - I didn't get a headache until day 6! (Hard to shake the last molecules of chocolate covered Santas from my blood stream apparently.)

Melissa continues to work culinary magic with extremely limited ingredients, so we are not starving. (But this evening she tried to make some cookies with almond flour and sugar-free chocolate chips and let's just say that my one cookie was a "lifetime supply".) 

Yesterday we took our oldest daughter back to Olivet for the new semester - that's a 3 and a quarter hour drive each way. It was a bit of a hassle trying to stick to our fast since all fast food is strictly taboo. We had to buy vegetables at the Kroger near campus and eat them with some pre-grilled chicken as we drove back to Indiana. 

Not surprisingly, I have lost at least 4 pounds at this point. 

I haven't found myself seriously tempted to cheat yet. Even Saturday when we celebrated our youngest daughter's 14th birthday and I spent two hours decorating her cake, up to my elbows in marshmallow fondant icing. I actually find it easier to cut something out entirely than to cut back on it. The first involves one decision and that's that. The second leads to too many internal dialogues and too many opportunities to justify "just a little bit more". 

BUMPER STICKER

 A podcast I listened to over the weekend asserted that for a message to change the world, a long, complicated, rational argument is nowhere near as powerful as a simple bumper sticker. 

But I don't think it's either/or. The bumper sticker is an important starting point. To create one, the world-changer must concentrate the essence of his message into a single, memorable sentence. 

That sentence, then, catches the attention of others, creating enough agreement and/or curiosity in at least some minds to open the door to a hearing for the longer explanation.

This was the approach of God Himself when He came to this earth. Jesus's bumper sticker was "The kingdom of God has come near." (Mark 1:15) 

[Which begs a question: if this is the way God chose to frame His message, why don't churches and Christians talk about "the kingdom of God" more often?]

MANATEES AND OUTRAGE

[Disclaimer: this is not a political post. What is at issue is critical thinking in general, something in which it seems we all could use a refresher course regardless of political allegiances.]

Last Monday I came across several people on Twitter enraged over viral video of a Florida manatee which, according to news sources, "had 'TRUMP' carved into its body". Although the water was somewhat murky, the offending word was clearly visible in large letters spanning the length of the animal's back. 

One tweet regarding the manatee that caught my eye in particular was comedian Jim Gaffigan. I've always liked Gaffigan's standup routines about food and such. He seems so mild mannered and likable. But on Twitter, he rages over anything Trump related.

He wrote: "Did you ever think you'd have to pace your outrage tweets about all the horrifying things Trump/his enablers/Cult members have done? Well, I sure do. If you have any information on the monster(s) who did this, please contact authorities. Accountability before unity."

First of all, as author Andrew Klavan says, "Anger is the Devil's cocaine". We are suffering from an epidemic of self-righteousness in the U.S. currently and the constant outrage is the number one symptom. Rather than "pacing" it, we need to give up this constant anger that is so incredibly unhealthy for us physically and socially.

Second, Gaffigan implies that if one Trump supporter did this, it is somehow representative of all Trump supporters. So any group can be collectively judged by its worst members? That sounds similar to the definition of "bigotry". 

Gaffigan further implies that calls for national "unity" must be set aside until this one person is brought to justice. 

Some sample responses to Gaffigan's tweet:

"I'm rage-crying right now."

"Whoever did this ... MUST BE FOUND."

"This is how serial killers behave."

"These people are HORRIBLE."

"It's very challenging not to hate all Trump supporters when I see this. But, I'm sure there are many that do not support this."

Several called for life in prison for the perpetrator(s). 

Sadly for all his followers rage-crying at home, Gaffigan never got around to tweeting the punchline later revealed elsewhere: Turns out that no knives or sandpaper were involved. Rather, "TRUMP" was written on the manatee's back by simply rubbing some algae off the creature's skin. 

There's quite a difference between "carving" and "rubbing". This manatee belongs on the long list of stories labeled "Not exactly true and not exactly false". 

PEACE FALLS

 Melissa hesitated to ask me to go for a walk with her tonight. She knows I hate the cold and that I had just sat down to do some writing. But it was snowing and after a long week, we both needed that sort of magical peace that drifts silently over the neighborhood with each snowflake.

And somehow, the faster and heavier the snow falls, the greater the peace. 

Even Ginger was game for a walk and seemed also to appreciate the peace.

SUGAR FAST UPDATE

 Melissa and I have just completed day 4 of 21 on our sugar fast. Melissa is a little concerned over her blood pressure climbing. We're hoping that is just a side effect of this early stage and that it will pass soon.

As for me, I am pleasantly surprised at how few cravings I have for candy and sweets. Even better, it seems like my appetite overall has decreased. I am eating a very similar breakfast each morning - two fried eggs - and have no trouble waiting until lunch to eat again. I just don't have a desire to snack during the day.

Not surprising to me or anyone who has enjoyed her cooking, Melissa has managed to make some really delicious meals with seriously limited ingredients. We had some brussels sprouts the other night that were incredible. 

I'm not intentionally trying to lose weight, but as of this morning, after just three full days of the fast, I was down 3.5 pounds. (That's eating plenty of everything else, just zero sugar.) I'm smart enough to know that this weight loss cannot possibly be all body fat in that short of a time frame, so I assume it must be a drop in inflammation. I'm must be losing a bit of water weight. And it does seem to me that I am not nearly so achy when I first get out of bed in the morning. Melissa is also losing the achiness in her joints that has plagued her recently.

 

BELONGING

 "The opposite of belonging is fitting in." - Brené Brown

I don't think much has changed about junior high social dynamics in the 4 decades since I was there as a student. The pressure to like the same music and wear the same clothes is immense. Some kids seem to have grown tired of attempts to fit in and have simply checked out socially and now keep their distance. 

As a teacher, I find myself wondering how many of my students have even one place in their lives where they feel they truly belong. A place where their personal oddities are not talked about or laughed at, but embraced and appreciated. 

If I had a magic wand, it would be one of the first gifts I would bestow on each student. 

As much as it is in my power, I am going to strive to make my classroom a place where my students belong.

THINKING AND KNOWING

 Recently I have been pondering the difference between "thinking" and "knowing". It seems to me they are quite different in degree. 

For years I have tried to break my writing students of the habit of including "I think" at the beginning of a sentence expressing an opinion because those two words become redundant when you go on to state what is obviously an opinion.

No need to write "I think Wonder Woman 1984 was a terrible movie." Just have a little confidence and state flatly, "Wonder Woman 1984 was a terrible movie."

The difference between "I think" and "I know" seems to boil down to this thing: confidence.

I heard somebody make this very point recently with a familiar experience. If I say to you, "I recognize that guy over there but I don't remember his name. Do you know it?", consider how different my next step will be depending on your response:

If you say, "His name is Joe", I will walk over to him and say, "Hey, Joe! It's been a long time. How are you?"

But if you say, "I think his name is Joe", well, that's an entirely different story. My next step will likely be to ask somebody else the same question.

"I think" leaves room for a healthy dose of doubt.

It is hard to map out exactly how it happened, but by the grace of God, I feel like 2020 moved me from thinking there is a God who loves me, thinking He has a plan for my life, and thinking He has expectations regarding my thoughts, words and deeds ...  to knowing He loves me, plans for me, and commands me. 

21 DAY SUGAR FAST

My wife decided months ago that she wanted to do an official "21 day sugar fast" with the support of some website called Revelation Wellness. It is a strict elimination of sugar of all types (wherever they may be hiding) for three full weeks. It includes natural sugars, so even fresh fruit and all types of legumes are off the menu. 

Also on pause: barbeque sauce, ketchup, salad dressings, breads, potatoes, milk, chocolate chip cookies, ice cream, brownies, and all the Christmas candy that still lingers in our house. 

I don't understand all the technicalities, but Melissa has done her research and has downloaded approved recipes and we've bought all the (expensive) substitutes for foods that contain sugar or convert to sugar. Apparently, we are planning to survive on eggs, meat, and cauliflower.

And I say "we" as I am voluntarily joining her in this endeavor because:

1) I am a good husband

and

2) I am always up for a fasting challenge.

(Fasting is an incredibly underutilized spiritual discipline.)

I do wish this particular fast was not beginning the same week as my new job, but the start date was set weeks ago and some other friends are joining her in this endeavor, so ...

This evening I am sitting on the couch after my first day of teaching since March of 2020, entirely sluggish and foggy-minded, and I seem to have just enough energy to stare at the wall and recollect yesterday's breakfast with great fondness.

A work of art!

MICE IN THE CLASSROOM

 I spent a few hours last Friday getting my new classroom prepared, making it my own. A co-worker stopped by with some information I needed for an afternoon rotation class and a friendly chat.

In the course of the conversation, she cautioned me that I may want to keep any candy or snacks sealed up tight because my classroom had a reputation for housing the occasional mouse.

Mice? Not a problem. At least not in light of the dozens of giant, nasty rats I killed over the past 7 years. 

I've trapped rats. Drowned rats. Clubbed several with a 2 by 4. I even flushed one down the toilet and stomped another to death in my bare feet (though that was purely accidental). 

Both of my dogs helped at various times.

And don't get me started on tarantulas!

Tarantulas and rats make mice look downright adorable in comparison. 

Whatever else can be said about going through tough times, big trials certainly put ordinary trials in proper perspective. In fact, they can help you overcome your fears, leaving you feeling almost invincible. 

WORK

 On Monday, I start a new job at my old school. I left 8 and a half years ago.  Before, I taught 10th grade English. Now, I will teach 8th. 

Teaching, especially in the States and especially in the age of Covid, is a complex task requiring a wide range of skills: instructional skills, of course, but also interpersonal, psychological, and technological skills. 

In the past, my fear of failure in one or more of these areas would render me indecisive and fearful, often on a daily basis. The night before the first day of classes, in particular, was guaranteed to be largely sleepless. 

Something feels very different to me this time around. I'm not fearful. Something has changed. 

And it has something to do with my recent decision to reflect and write every single day, but I can't tell if the writing is cause or effect.

All I know for sure is that my priorities are reoriented. I can relax about teaching because teaching is not my first job. Don't get me wrong, I still understand the act of educating, whether in Indiana or Haiti or elsewhere, as being incredibly important. But I DO have even more important work:

"Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval."

Then [the crowd] asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?"

Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." (John 6:27-29)

THIS is the number one job of every Christian. And what I know now is that when we devote ourselves to this "work", everything else falls into its proper perspective. 

I am absolutely excited to step back into the classroom.

POTENTIAL

 If you're convinced that upon meeting Jesus face to face you would more likely be greeted with a pointed criticism than with a compliment, it is worth noting that even though Nathanael got such a positive reception from Jesus, he did not go on to be one of the "major players" in the gospel narratives.

On the other hand, the guy Jesus once called "Satan", Simon Peter, starred not only in key gospel moments (both in positive and negative ways), but became instrumental in establishing Christ's church on this earth.

No matter what kind of character we have when we first meet Jesus, there is plenty of space to grow more like Him. And He can use us as we grow.

HERE IS A _________ (FILL-IN-THE-BLANK)

 As Nathanael approaches Him, Jesus sums up his character with these words: "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false."

I keep thinking about this and I have to wonder: If I had the chance to meet Jesus in the flesh but part of the deal was that He would sum up my character in a single sentence, would I do it? 

Would you?

Remember, this is the One who knows you inside and out. He knows your heart and He knows all the hidden things.

Does your gut say that His pronouncement would be complimentary? 

        Like "without guile" or "full of wisdom" or "unconditionally loving" or "living in great faith"?

Or would it be critical?

        Like "judgmental" or "angry" or "full of fear"?

These questions are worth at least a few minutes of reflection, aren't they?

MY SABBATICAL ENDS NEXT WEEK

 On Monday, January 11th, I will be stepping back into the classroom after over 6 months of sabbatical. (I started calling it that because "sabbatical" has a much more pleasant connotation than "unemployment".  And Melissa refused to let me call it "early retirement".)

I am rested and ready to go. 

I am grateful to return to Hauser Jr. High School to teach 8th grade English. This is where I taught sophomore English for five years before my family and I moved to Haiti in 2013. It's a great school with a very caring faculty, staff, and administration. 

I must admit it might feel a little weird to be back - both the world and I have changed quite a bit since I left Hauser. (I believe my change has been in a much more positive direction than the world's!) I would appreciate prayers as I have several steep learning curves ahead - names, curriculum, policies, and technology, among others.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

 John 1:47-49

When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit."

"How do you know me?" Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you."

Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are the king of Israel."

We always hear that first impressions are incredibly important. Many claim that a job interview is decided in the first 30 seconds. Why? Because humans start judging others immediately (especially if we anticipate an ongoing relationship of some sort). And, due to our (untrustworthy) pattern recognition algorithm, either a perceived positive attribute ("That's a sharp looking dress shirt") or a negative ("Her hair looks like she just rolled out of bed") seems to be the first bit of evidence in what will surely become a chain.

In other words, noticing something positive inclines our minds toward finding another positive and then another. Likewise with something negative.

Jesus initiates His relationship with Nathanael by complementing him: "You are a sincere guy. You don't pretend to be something you're not." And with a minor demonstration of power: "I know you were sitting under a fig tree when Philip called you." 

Isn't it fascinating to see how quickly Nathanael swings from sincerely dismissing Nazarenes as "nothing good" to sincerely exclaiming that Jesus of Nazareth is "the Son of God"? 

PATTERN RECOGNITION

 John 1:45-46

"Philip found Nathanael and told him, 'We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote - Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.'

'Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?' Nathanael asked.

'Come and see,' said Philip."

Here's another insight from Scott Adams:

"There are three important things to know about human beings in order to understand why we do the things we do.

1. Humans use pattern recognition to understand their world.

2. Humans are very bad at pattern recognition.

3. And they don't know it." (Loserthink, p.66)

Rings true, doesn't it?

Nathanael came within inches of missing out on meeting the very Son of God. Why? Because of faulty pattern recognition. Apparently, every Nazarene Nathanael had met in his lifetime was a jerk or an idiot (in his eyes).  

Perhaps Nathanael  had been put off by the first person he ever met from Nazareth. Maybe the second too. Soon he was noticing something disagreeable in every Nazarene who crossed his path. 

Fortunately, though, for Nathanael, he was willing to give his friend's judgment some credibility, even when it conflicted with what he already "knew"; he was open to the possibility that a pattern he previously "discerned" did not have predictive power in every case. 

As a result, he acted upon Philip's invitation to "come and see", and this particular Nazarene put Nathanael's earthly life and his eternity on a completely different path. 

But he almost missed something incredibly good from Nazareth.

THE 10/90 SPLIT

 John 2:25

"[Jesus] did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person."

It is rare for me to find a book so interesting that it is hard to put down. Much rarer still to find a book that I don't want to put down because I find its ideas literally life-changing. It is pure magic to come across words on a page that feel like locating a long-missing puzzle piece.

I'm talking about the sort of idea that grabs your mind and doesn't let go. Once you see it, you can't unsee it. And it sheds new light over everything.

This experience has been rare for me outside of Scripture, but last spring I came across a recently published book exactly when God knew I needed it most. 

Don't judge it by its cover or its title:

One of Adams' assertions that caught my attention was this:

We like to think that human beings generally operate at 90% rationality and 10% irrationality. (And we are endlessly surprised by examples of others' lack of logic.) But Adams asserts the reality is much closer to the opposite: 10% rationality and 90% irrationality. AND the more important something is to us, the more likely our words, actions and attitudes are founded on emotion and not logic. 

(Exhibit A: Facebook arguments.)

The tricky part is that it is infinitely easier for each person to recognize this 90% tendency toward irrationality in other people. Much harder to see it in ourselves. But it is definitely there.

(Exhibit B: Facebook arguments.)

The ramifications of accepting a 10/90 split on logic/irrationality are huge. I am still unpacking this idea in my own life six months later.

Undoubtedly this lack of rationality is at least part of what Jesus "knew was in each person" when He walked this earth and another good reason for Him to exercise caution in entrusting Himself to other people.

MR. RUKES NEVER LEARNED

 John 2:23-25

"Now while He was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs He was performing and believed in His name. But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person."

You could get away with almost anything in Mr. Rukes' classroom, at least until student misbehavior reached a certain critical mass, turning Mr. Rukes' face a dark red to the top of his bald spot. At that point, his veins would bulge and he would always half scream the same sentence: "When my doctor checks my blood pressure, he tells me YOU KIDS are KILLING me!"

I never had any doubt that his doctor had actually said this or that the prognosis itself was likely accurate. But I did doubt the wisdom of entrusting his students with this information.  His transparency did not bring about the sympathy he sought; instead, it was met with further spit wads, rubber bands, and mockery.

After decades of teaching junior high geography, Mr. Rukes still did not seem "to know what was in" each 7th grader. 

We all need to be aware of this reality: people are broken and prone to sin and misbehavior. And not just during the junior high years, but right now. As adults. Your co-workers. Your best friend. Your spouse. Your son or daughter. Your dad or mom. The strongest Christian you know. (And, yes ... even me and even you.) All broken and prone to sin.

Jesus' awareness of "what is in each person" generated an appropriate level of caution in His interactions with others: "He would not entrust himself to them." 

And yet this caution was exercised without a hint of cynicism, hatred, or self-righteousness. 

Amazing.

As always, we would be wise to imitate Jesus. 

A NEW YEAR...

 And a fresh start.

No year in my lifetime has taught me more important lessons than 2020 did. My family and I got knocked around pretty good, and not just by the pandemic. But at least I have something to show for all the pain by year's end. 

You do not have to love the teacher to be grateful for the lessons learned. 

I have made a New Year's resolution to write:

1) Daily 

and

2) Concisely

So I will consider this a good start. 😉